Modal Verbs Why and How?

must should

ought have to

may can

could

might

will would

be able to need to

7 August 2015. TGC, The University of Edinburgh

Co-authors

• Anže Perne (Ljubljana, Slovenia)

• Juan Carlos Dominguez (Havana, Cuba)

• Karol Kurant (Warsaw, Poland)

• Olga Medvedeva (Vilnius, Lithuania)

The Aims

• To reflect on modality in general: its presence in a language, its importance and how it may be expressed

• To present practical activities we can use in class, based on public signs

Modal Verbs vs Other Verbs

• Modality is expressed by linguistic devices that indicate the degree to which an observation is possible, probable, likely, certain, permitted, or prohibited. In English, these notions are most commonly expressed by modal auxiliaries, sometimes combined with not.

Modality in our languages

• You should do your homework.

• Powinieneś zrobić pracę domową.

• Moraš narediti domačo nalogo.

• Tau reikia daryti namų darbus.

• Tы должен сделать домашнюю работу.

• Debes hacer la tarea.

ABILITY

• CAN – ability, CANNOT/CAN‘T – lack of ability She can speak Spanish but she can‘t speak Italian.

• WILL BE ABLE TO – future ability: Will I able able to speak fluently by the end of the course?

• Sometimes we use BE ABLE TO where CAN/COULD is grammatically impossible: I haven‘t been able to drive since I dislocated my wrist.

POSSIBILITY, DEDUCTION AND SPECULATION

• CAN – possibility (MAY in scientific and academic English): Drinks in restaurants can be very expensive. Over-prescribing of antibiotics may lead to the rapid development of resistant strains.

• MAY, MIGHT, COULD – specific possibilities ('perhaps'/'maybe') There can be life on Mars. There may be life on Mars.

• WILL/WON‘T BE ABLE TO – we are certain that something will be possible/impossible in the future: We‘ll be able to travel to Mars, but we won‘t be able to travel to Jupiter.

• MAY/MIGHT + Past Participle – a possible completed action by a time in the future: Call me next Tuesday; I might have finished the project by then.

ARRANGEMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, OFFERS, ETC.

• CAN, COULD, BE ABLE TO – possible arrangements for a time in the future: The doctor could see you at six. I‘ll be able to see you after the lesson.

• MAY, MIGHT – arrangement is uncertain The dentist might be free to see you immediately after lunch; I‘ll have to check the diary.

ASKING FOR AND GIVING/REFUSING PERMISSION

• CAN/CAN‘T – permission granted or refused by the person being asked 'Can I use your phone?' 'Yes, of course you can.' I‘ll be able to see you after the lesson.

• MAY, MIGHT – in (more) formal situations May I interrupt? Might I ask the court for a recess?

OBLIGATION AND NECESSITY

• MUST, HAVE TO – obligation: You must start working harder! (I say so) You have to turn left here. (It‘s the law) We must / have to be there by six. (no difference) Brenda should / ought to be home by now.

• MUST, HAVE TO, NEED TO – necessity I really need to / must / have to get some more sleep. I‘m always exhausted.

PROHIBITION AND CRITICISM

• MUSTN‘T – a prohibition: You musn‘t touch that kettle. It‘s hot!

• SHOULDN‘T/OUGHTN‘T TO – a weaker (often moral) prohibition You really shouldn‘t/oughtn‘t to speak to your mother like that!

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• Prohibition by an external authority – other modal verbs or non-modal expressions: Guests may not use the pool after 11 pm. Women can‘t/aren‘t allowed to drive in same Arab countries.

RECOMMENDATION AND ADVICE

• MUST – strong recommendations and advice: You must do something about that cough.

• SHOULD/OUGHT TO – less emphatic Children ought not to spend long periods in front of a computer screen.

• HAD BETTER (NOT) – strong advice I think you‘d better leave now.

• You‘d better not drive.

LOGICAL DEDUCTION AND PROBABILITY

• MUST – something we believe to be true because of evidence: This must be the place – it‘s the only restaurant in the street. (OPP: can‘t) I thought the eclipse was today, but it must be happening tomorrow.

• HAVE (GOT) TO – emphatic logical deduction: There has (got) to be some mistake. I didn‘t order this!

• SHOULD – probability, SHOULDN‘T/OUGHT NOT TO – improbability: The plane should be landing about now.

• There shouldn‘t be any problems with traffic at that time of the evening.

• There are different types of modality, e.g. epistemic, deontic, dynamic, disposition, etc.

• Deontic modality is concerned with the speaker's directive attitude towards an action to be carried out, as in You must go now.

• Public signs

• How to teach deontic modality using public signs? • Task 1 • ( to see how much Ss know about modal verbs, whether they can use them

accurately, how wide their range of modal verbs/expressions is) • Look at the public signs and list all possible ways of expressing their

meaning verbally • * if you have a monolingual/multilingual clas,…. • Task 2 * T provides the original signs ( with the text on them) and Ss

compare their suggestions / possible variations ( incl other language if ss share any)

• Task 3 T gives a sign ( with the text) ss come up with the best interpretation ( please don’t leave your car… -> You mustn’t leave…, you aren’t allowed to leave…

• Task 4 in groups ( timelimit ~ 5 – 7 min) provide a list of instructions / warning / advice… under the title “ On your own in Edinburg…” “ How not to run into trouble in Edinburg…